Protection of Metals and Physical Chemistry of Surfaces, cilt.58, ss.42-52, 2022 (SCI-Expanded)
© 2022, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.Abstract: In this study, electrolytic coating of pure chromium and Cr-ND (nanodiamond) composite coatings were applied on pre-alloy metal powder metallurgy specimens. The effects of the coating conditions including the ND particles content and coating duration in the bath on tribological behavior of the chromium coatings were investigated. Characterization tests were executed using an optical microscope, SEM, EDS, XRD and AFM. The hardness and wear resistance of the Cr-ND coated samples were compared with pure chromium coated and non-coated specimens. After determination of the suitable coating conditions, a 1.2‑liter engine motor oil pump sprocket was chosen as an industrial application for the coating. The sprocket manufactured by pressing and sintering under the same conditions. The wear test of the sprocket was accomplished by using a new designed test configuration to simulate the actual working conditions with motor oil. The wear resistance of the Cr-ND coated samples and sprockets were compared with pure Cr coated, non-coated and induction hardened ones. The results demonstrated that the embedding of the ND particles in the chromium matrix led to an improvement on the hardness and wear behavior of the Cr-ND coatings in comparison to pure chromium coatings, noncoated and heat-treated specimens.